USGS volcanologist Harry Dalton travels to the small Pacific Northwest town of Dante's Peak to investigate recent seismic episodes in the area. Expecting to find little other than the routine rumblings common to this region, Dalton becomes alarmed by what he sees as evidence of the kind of activity that precedes a catastrophic eruption. When his colleagues doubt his theories, Dalton enlists the aid of the town's mayor Rachel Wando, who though skeptical at first, comes to believe his theory that the long-dormant mountain is about to become a ragingly destructive volcano. With the earth's clock racing against him, Dalton must defy the orders of his superiors, defeat the demons from his own tragic past, and together with Wando, convince an unbelieving populace that the imminent danger before the towering mountain known as Dante's Peak unleashes its fury.